Which department should I visit for back pain?

Back pain can arise from various causes. For instance, angina pectoris or myocardial infarction may cause pain radiating to the left upper back; in such cases, patients should consult a cardiologist. Pain caused by hepatobiliary disorders may radiate to the right upper back, warranting referral to either general surgery or gastroenterology. If the back pain originates from the spine itself or associated musculature—and spinal pathology is suspected—orthopedics would be the appropriate specialty. If all the aforementioned causes have been ruled out, patients should be referred to a pain management specialist. Since many conditions involve two or more specialties, multidisciplinary consultation is sometimes necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. We hope this information is helpful to you, and we wish you good health.